A number of Orthodox priests and believers canonized offered to parishioners of St. George’s Church in Kizlyar killed in the attack on forgiveness Sunday.

In the attack on an Orthodox Church, which is forgiveness Sunday (February 18) staged a 22-year-old Khalil Khalilov, killed five elderly women, four were hospitalized, the attacker was eliminated. According to SK, the attack is considered as one of the versions.

«Obviously, servants of God Faith, Hope, Ludmila, Irina, Faith became martyrs for Christ. The attacker killed them because they were pious Christians, for it attack on an Orthodox Church and during worship. However, he shared the religious ideas against Christianity, and against Russia’s traditional reading of Islam», — said at the disposal of RIA Novosti, the appeal of the initiative group to «Church hierarchy».

Believers are reminded that the phenomenon of martyrdom for the faith is not uncommon in modern Russia. According to them, it is enough to remember the dead on Easter 1993, the Optina monks hieromonk Basil, monks Ferapont and Trophimus, who died in 2009 at the hands of murderers of priest Daniil Sysoev. The canonization of the victims of the shooting in Kizlyar, according to some believers, will encourage Orthodox countries and «will find understanding among the followers of traditional Islam», leading the «difficult and dangerous combat» extremism and terror.

In turn, the Pyatnitsky rector of the metochion of the Trinity-Sergius Lavra, associate Professor of the Moscow theological Academy, Archpriest Paul Velikanov explains that the meaning of canonization is that the person recognized by the Church «as a role model». The canonization is not only a confirmation of Holiness.

«You have to understand that there are far more saints than canonized. So typically, when canonization takes into account all factors related to a person’s life. When, for example, talking about the canonization of the new martyrs (those killed in the Soviet years, Orthodox Christians – ed.), each of them a thorough examination, the results of which the decision, if he could be canonized as saints or not,» said the theologian.

If in the biography of the candidate for canonization found some points that discredit it, he explains, in such a situation, most often in the canonization may be denied. In the moment of canonization, according to Velikanova, much more pedagogical aspects, rather than only recognition of the fact of martyrdom.